Review: Dustin Lynch and Frankie Ballard take on Ohio’s @fultoncntyfair

It was a hot one at The Fulton County fair, but that didn’t stop eager fans from celebrating Labor Day with some country music. Many anxious fans waited by the gate entrance for more than 5 hours in order to get as close to their favorite artists as possible. They would soon find out that their long wait would be more than worth the “Hell of a Night” that they had in store.

Opening the show was the energetic Frankie Ballard. He kicked things off with his recent number one single, “Young and Crazy”. Ballard bounced all over the stage from start to finish, the only time he was stationary was when he took a break from the mic to play the drums. Not only is he vocally talented, but he can shred that guitar, many solos are incorporated into his show and he destroys them. He can also shake that tambourine while shooting whiskey with a woman in the crowd, talk about multi-tasking. Ballard covered Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue”, and did so in such an entertaining fashion that many fans were capturing the moment on video. He performed the well-known “Sunshine and Whiskey” and “Helluva Life” early on in his set. Ballard made the most of his time on stage and even played two songs, “Cigarette” and “L.A. Woman”, from his highly anticipated upcoming album.

The headliner of the show just so happened to be the man sitting at the top of the country charts this week, Dustin Lynch. It was refreshing to see Lynch in a more personal setting as a headliner, rather than in a stadium with his short time slot. He has all the necessities to entertain a large crowd; great songs, a great voice, and that smile. He took time during his set to give personal introductions to songs and joke with the fans. At one point he looked out at the ferris wheel, decided it was moving way too fast for him to ride it, and then gave a shout out to all the couples that were going to be at the top of it throughout the night. He followed this by acoustically covering Tim McGraw’s “Red Rag Top” and Travis Tritt’s “It’s A Great Day to Be Alive”, which he dedicated to his father. Lynch effortlessly kept the crowd entertained and dancing along to every song that he performed. Don’t let the cowboy hat fool you, he also covered “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake. Dustin Lynch made sure that everyone in attendance had one “Hell of a Night”.